There are plenty of ways to open programs in Windows. You can use the Start menu, pin shortcuts to the taskbar, or even use PowerToys. Back when Cortana was around, voice commands were an option too. Keyboard shortcuts actually offer a much faster way to launch apps. I recently set up custom shortcuts for all my apps, and while I won’t claim it’s life-changing, it has made things noticeably faster. Here’s how you can do it too.

Set up keyboard shortcuts through app Properties

Or still pin apps to the Taskbar

Windows lets you add a custom keyboard shortcut to any app through its Properties. To do this, you first need to create a shortcut file for the application. Locate the program's EXE file in File Explorer, then press and hold the Shift key while right-clicking on it. Select Create Shortcut from the menu.

Next, right-click on the newly created shortcut and select Properties to open its settings. In the Shortcut tab, look for the Shortcut key field. Click the textbox next to it and press the desired key on your keyboard. Windows will automatically format the shortcut as Ctrl + Alt + [Key]. Click Apply to save the changes. If an "Access Denied" prompt appears, click Continue to grant admin privileges and complete the process.

If you only use a handful of apps (around 10), there's a quicker way to open them using the taskbar. First, pin your frequently used apps to the taskbar. Once pinned, you can launch them using the Windows + [AppNumber] shortcut, where AppNumber corresponds to the app’s position on the taskbar.

Keep in mind that certain taskbar items, such as the search bar, task view, and widgets, do not count toward this numbering system. The first pinned app after these elements will be assigned Windows + 1, the next Windows + 2, and so on.

Use PowerToys Keyboard Manager to open apps

If you need more freedom

The Keyboard Manager module of PowerToys can help you with a couple of things. The first is keyboard remapping, which means changing the function of a particular key. The second is remapping a shortcut, which allows you to assign shortcuts to other shortcuts, keys, or text snippets for all or specific apps.

Select Keyboard Manager from the left pane in PowerToys and click the Remap a shortcut option beneath the Shortcut heading. If this option is grayed out, you need to enable Keyboard Manager first by toggling the Enable Keyboard Manager option on the same page.

The Remap a shortcut window will be empty at first since it’s a list of remaps, so you’ll need to create your first entry. Click Add Shortcut Remapping, then click the pencil icon next to Shortcut, then press the keys you want to use. Click OK when done.

Next, use the Action dropdown and select Run Program, then click Select Program and choose the application you want your shortcut to open. You might also want to adjust other settings – one important option is If Running, which determines what happens if the program is already open. Finally, click OK in the top-right corner to save your changes.

Open apps easily on Windows

Windows offers multiple ways to open apps, and keyboard shortcuts are one of the most efficient. I also love using PowerToys Run to launch applications quickly. For those unfamiliar, PowerToys Run is Windows’ version of Mac’s Spotlight Search with wide functionality. It can search and open apps, files, and folders, execute system commands, perform quick calculations, convert units, check the current time and date, and even open web pages. There are plenty of other useful PowerToys features you should be using. You might also want to check out our ultimate guide to keyboard shortcuts in Windows 11.